BoatsSantana 20

Santana 20

Fractional Sloop · Fin keel, spade rudder · First built 1976

A high-performance fractional sloop with a 1996 deck redesign that added an open transom and a roomier cockpit

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Fin w/spade Rudder

See her sail

The Santana 20, on the water

The fleet's own footage — the truest look at how she really moves.

Footage from Vela Sin Rumbo

Is it for you?

Character

Where this design lands on the numbers a shopper trusts — read straight from her own ratios.

TrailerableBeam 2.44 m — inside the 2.55 m no-permit tow width across most of Europe, and the 2.59 m US and Canadian limit. About 612 kg of hull, so roughly 1,200 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.
LivelySea-kindly

Her light displacement on a beamy beam gives 8 — a quick, lively motion that feels every wave.

Comfort ratio 8
CoastalBluewater

At 2.90 she sits above the 2.0 line — beamy for her weight, and happiest coastal.

Capsize screening 2.90
LightHeavy

147 — light for her waterline, so she is easily driven and quick to accelerate.

Displacement / length 147
EasygoingPowered-up

24.4 — a lot of sail for her weight; powered-up and eager, a real performer.

Sail area / displacement 24.4
TenderStiff

41% of her weight is ballast — moderately stiff, a middle-of-the-road stability.

Ballast 41%

Light and lively — happiest day-sailing and coastal-hopping in settled weather.

  • Lighter than ~90% of boats her size on file

Compared with 601 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Santana 20, as the fleet has seen it

Derived from the videos the fleet has analysed of this model. ▶ marks open the moment aboard.

The Santana 20 is a 6.2-meter fractional sloop designed by W. Shad Turner and built by W. D. Schock Corp. since 1976. It features a fin keel with a spade rudder, a 2.4-meter beam, a 1.2-meter draft, and displaces 612 kg. In 1996, W.D. Schock Corp redesigned the deck, introducing an open transom and a roomier cockpit while maintaining the boat's performance characteristics.10:05 Aboard *Vela Sin Rumbo*, Fer and Renán sold their Santana 20 racing sailboat to fund a circumnavigation aboard a Catalina Morgan 45.10:02

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen once across one channel of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

What they go for

Market signal

Where the fleet has seen this model come up for sale.

1seen sold

From the fleet's own footage — our observed signal, not broker listings.

The record

Full specifications

The complete reference set — tap any figure to switch between metric and imperial.

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
40.7%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Fractional Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
24.4
Displacement / length
147.1
Comfort ratio
7.6
Capsize screening
2.90
Hull speed
5.4 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
457
Hull
Hull type
Fin w/spade rudder
Construction
Fiberglass
Ballast type
Lead
Production
Years built
First built 1976
Units built
900
Designer
W. Shad Turner
Builder
W. D. Schock Corp, Schock W.D

Boats like this, on the water

More boats like her, on the water

Comparable boats the fleet has on camera: same type, within a quarter of her length. Open the boat, or watch the video — a timestamp means she only appears in passing.

J Boats Tillotson Pearson J/226.86 mSame hull family0.7 m longerA high-performance fractional sloop with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio designed for competitive one-design racing
Sailing a J22 in Newport Beach, CA (July 2022)0:30from keeldragger
Borge Bringsvaerd Bb116.18 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Norwegian-built classic with an active class association that has raced continuously since the 1960s
Join us inside the Dragon's Lair: 11 Dragons and a handful of fast cars13:53from SEILmagasinet
Bavaria Yachts 6066.50 mSame hull family0.3 m longerA lightweight 6.5-meter fractional sloop with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio for spirited coastal sailing
How He Survived a Tropical Storm at Sea14:25from Be The Captain
Sirius 7277.27 mSame hull family1.1 m longerA development of the Sirius 24, this fractional sloop features a fin keel with skeg-mounted rudder for balanced handling
Two Different Ways Sailing Changes Lives | #SAL #2510:15from Hashtag Sal
J Boats J/706.93 mSame hull family0.8 m longerA high-performance fractional sloop designed by Alan Johnstone, with over 1,100 units delivered for one-design racing
Home favorite in the Women's Snipe National Championship0:40from SEILmagasinet
J J/77.04 mSame hull family0.9 m longerA 2024 fractional sloop with a shallow 1.16m draft and a high 23.55 sail-area-to-displacement ratio for responsive daysailing
J7: Finally an affordable sailboat0:49from SEILmagasinet

The family

Related models

The designs closest to hers — usually the rest of the builder's range, sometimes the same hull sold under another name.

Santana 21A lightweight fractional sloop by Seymour Paul featuring a swing keel and high sail area for spirited performanceSantana 525A lightweight fractional sloop with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 23.35, designed for spirited performanceSantana 25-1A W. Shad Turner-designed IOR 1/4 ton masthead sloop with a fin keel and transom-hung rudder built from 1973 to 1977Santana 26A Seymour Paul-designed masthead sloop available in both fixed fin and shoal-draft swing keel configurationsSantana 25-2An IOR 1/4 ton masthead sloop featuring a redesigned deck molding for a refined take on the original Santana 25Santana 23 KA masthead sloop with a fixed fin keel and high sail-area-to-displacement ratio for spirited light-air performance

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

Search what's been said about the Santana 20, or ask a specific question — the answer comes back written out, with links to the moments it draws on.

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